WKU’s College Readiness Program fits right in with Senate Bill 1, state legislation requiring students to be ready for the rigors of college. Find out how Logan County freshman Chelsea Thomason is benefitting from the program in this “View from the Hill” segment by WKU’s Amy Bingham DeCesare.
Sixteen WKU forensic team members traveled to Ohio State University in Columbus to take part in two tournaments the weekend of Dec. 4-6.
In its last tournament of the fall semester, WKU was crowned overall sweepstakes champion, followed by Ohio University and Creighton University.
Results from the Ohio State & Otterbein College “Holiday Frolic” Speech and Debate Tournaments are as follows:
Sarah Spiker, a junior from Snohomish, Wash., tournament champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate, top debate speaker and second in informative speaking in the Ohio State tournament.
Adam Bouchareb, a freshman from Lakeville, Minn., tournament champion in prose interpretation and fourth in duo interpretation (with Adam Swanson) in the Ohio State tournament; tournament champion in prose interpretation and third in duo interpretation (with Adam Swanson) in the Otterbein tournament.
Khristan Solliday, a sophomore from Mitchell, Ind., tournament champion in communication analysis, fourth in impromptu speaking and fourth in extemporaneous speaking in the Otterbein tournament; second in communication analysis and fourth in extemporaneous speaking in the Ohio State tournament.
Adam Swanson, a senior from Rosemount, Minn., tournament champion in after-dinner speaking, third in duo interpretation (with Adam Bouchareb) and fourth in poetry interpretation in the Otterbein tournament; second in after-dinner speaking, fourth in poetry interpretation, fourth in prose interpretation and fourth in duo interpretation (with Adam Bouchareb) in the Ohio State tournament.
Elizabeth Mullins, a senior from Plymouth, Mass., tournament champion in informative speaking, quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate and fourth debate speaker in the Otterbein tournament; third in informative speaking and quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the Ohio State tournament.
Todd Rainey, a junior from Indianapolis, tournament champion in extemporaneous speaking and quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the Otterbein tournament; second in extemporaneous speaking and octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the Ohio State tournament.
WKU’s Study Abroad & Global Learning announces the winners of the 2009 Study Abroad Photo Contest.
Students who have studied abroad in the past year were invited to submit up to five photos to the contest in hopes of winning a $200 prize.
Caitlin Pike, a Louisville sophomore, won first place for a photo titled “Rally” taken in Ottawa, Ontario, in June 2009. The photo depicts a forestry sector worker raising his shovel in support of the rally. She was enrolled in the summer 2009 Canadian Parliament Internship led by Dr. James Baker of the History department.
The winning photo received 14 votes out of a total of 156 votes. To see the winning entries, visit http://www.wku.edu/studyabroad/archives/photo/photo2009.html
Second place went to Katie Richardson, a sophomore from Batavia, Ill., for a photo of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
Third place went to Jennifer Jones, a Franklin junior, for a photo of a Nyala taken in Africa.
The photo contest had participants with a total submission of 201 photos. The contest boards were displayed during various campus events such as International Education Week, the Study Abroad Fair and the Geography Awareness Day held at WKU’s South Campus.
Students were able to submit one vote per day for their favorite photo. Many did so after stopping by to stare in amazement at the colorful assortment of photos from all over the world.
The photos sparked conversation among students about global travel as well as interest in study abroad in general. Those who voted in the contest were given the opportunity to talk about the places they would like to go as well as have their questions answered about studying abroad. The photos inspired other students to consider thinking of studying abroad, which is the ultimate mission of the office.
WKU’s Study Abroad & Global Learning is committed to providing every WKU student the opportunity to add a global view to the lessons learned in the classroom. Available programs include WKU faculty-led, exchanges, consortia, affiliated, and third-party providers, most found on the Study Abroad & Global Learning web site. The program serves the WKU community by engaging students, faculty and staff in diverse, educational, and cultural experiences through faculty led, exchange, consortia and other study abroad opportunities.
Contact: Jerry Barnaby, (270) 745-5334.
Together with the Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, WKU is hosting the 2009 KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl State Football Championships on Dec. 4-5. The games began with Boyle County defeating Lone Oak for the Class 4A title. Other Friday games were Fort Campbell vs. DeSales in 2A; John Hardin vs. Highlands in 5A. Saturday’s games are Paducah Tilghman vs. Somerset in 3A; Mayfield vs. Lexington Christian in 1A; and St. Xavier vs. Trinity in 6A. For more on the games, visit the KHSAA website. (WKU Photos by Bryan Lemon)
WKU honored 40 students from eight high schools in the Elizabethtown area for their academic achievements.
The annual High School Scholars Luncheon on Dec. 3 honored students who qualify for an academic scholarship to WKU. This year’s group has an average ACT composite score of 27 and grade-point average of 3.96.
The students honored included:
Central Hardin
Elizabethtown
Fort Knox
John Hardin
Larue County
Meade County
North Hardin
North Hardin Christian
Central Hardin High School: Cameron Chaney, Cortney Gandy, Elizabeth Ivey, Rachel Priddy.
Elizabethtown High School: Sadaf Ahmed, Chasidy Auzenne, Marie Claire Brown, Marcas Burnett, Andre Crutcher, Katelin Dickerson, Joseph Duke, Chelsea Kauffeld, Katie Meek, Joseph Raub, Brenna Sherrill, Carmen Shipp, John “Ty” Strader, Jennifer Wu, Ijlal Yazdani.
Fort Knox High School: Christina Cota-Robles, Ashley Croley, Karissa Jackson, Emily Raney, Tyler Washington.
John Hardin High School: Lisa Aguilos, Ashley Doughty, Desirae Duncan, Kim Fugate, Megan Furlong, QueDale Phinazee, Jason Swisher.
Larue County High School: Tschakha Chirunga, Eli Ernst, Katy Nash, Kristin Thompson.
Meade County High School: Kayla Higbee.
North Hardin High School: Chelsea Allen, Sabrina Henirich.
North Hardin Christian School: Lauren Buell, Casey Sullivan.
Other upcoming scholar luncheons are:
Dec. 10: Lexington area high schools, 11:30 a.m. EST at Lexington Signature Club.
Jan. 6: Glasgow area high schools, 11:30 a.m. CST at South Central Bank Operations Center.
Jan. 8: Bowling Green-Warren County high schools, 11:30 a.m. CST at WKU’s Kentucky Building.
Jan. 11: Owensboro area high schools, 11:30 a.m. CST at RiverPark Center.
Jan. 12: Southcentral Kentucky high schools, 11:30 a.m. at WKU’s Kentucky Building.
Winter brings with it the possibility that weather will force changes in the WKU schedule. When that happens, information about the changes will be available through a number of avenues.
Online: Information about closings at any of the WKU campuses will be posted on the WKU homepage and the WKU News Blog. Fans will see it on the WKU News Facebook page while those following WKU News on Twitter will get a “tweet.”
Text messages: Students, faculty and staff who have signed up for WKU’s emergency text messages will receive a text message announcing changes. Students, faculty and staff should log into their WKU TopNet account and enroll or verify they are enrolled with the proper cell phone number.
Email: WKU students, faculty and staff also will receive email about any schedule changes.
Phone: If you can’t get to a computer, the WKU Information line (270-936-0000) will have the latest information recorded.
News media: Information will be provided to local and area media, primarily radio and television stations. Just remember that if conditions warrant changes in the WKU schedule, other schools, businesses, etc., will be impacted, making for long lists.
Contact: Media Relations, (270) 745-4295.
Maj. Jason Finley, a WKU graduate from Louisville, is the first U.S. National Guard officer to be awarded an Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute (EPHLI) Fellowship under the auspices of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Finley completed his bachelor’s degree in geography (with a second major in communication studies) in 1994 and a master’s in geoscience in 1996 at WKU. He has also completed a master’s in disaster response at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Finley is an Environmental Science and Health Services Officer with the National Guard, where he has served in emergency response positions for the past eight years subsequent to employment as an environmental consultant in local industry. He holds state and national registrations in Environmental Health as well as national certifications in Hazardous Materials Management. He is a member of several state and national environmental health and hazardous materials associations.
During his fellowship with the CDC, Finley completed a research project titled “Exploring an Internationally Registered Environmental Health Specialist Qualification.” His goal was to explore the practicalities of an environmental health system that could span the globe, pointing out that more than 2.5 billion people around the world do not have access to basic sanitary infrastructure. He hopes that a global, unified environmental health registration system will help to improve overall health management competencies.
“The quality and success of our educational programs are best measured by the accomplishments of our alumni,” said Geography and Geology Department Head Dr. David Keeling. “It is always gratifying to hear about the wonderful things that our graduates are engaged in around the country and across the globe and to know that the educational foundation they received at WKU has helped them to achieve excellence in their chosen careers.”
Contact: David Keeling, (270) 745-4555
Together with the Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, WKU will host the 2009 Kentucky High School Athletic Association Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl State Football Championships on Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 5, at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. The state championship games are scheduled for 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. both days.
This two-day event will bring thousands of high school students, teachers, school officials, fans and media from across the Commonwealth of Kentucky to Bowling Green and onto our campus and represents a major tourism opportunity for our community.
To accommodate and welcome those attending the games, PS2, surface lots around Diddle Arena and the South Lawn lot will be reserved for game patrons and KHSAA officials as well as media. Alternative parking arrangements for WKU permit holders affected by these changes are described below, and a map of parking for the two-day event is available here. More information also is available on WKU’s website.
What is changing?
Parking Structure 2 will be used exclusively for paid public parking all day Dec. 4-5.
The surface lots around Diddle Arena, as well as the South Lawn Lot, will be reserved parking for KHSAA officials and media Dec. 4-5.
Parking Structure 1 and Creason Lot will be used for public parking beginning at the 3 p.m. game on Friday, Dec. 4; however, for those not attending the games all WKU permits will be honored in these lots.
Where can I park?
WKU faculty and staff members displaced from the Diddle and South Lawn lots for Friday games should utilize Parking Structure 1, Jones-Jaggers, and other Commuter, Housing, or All Permits parking lots, such as the Creason or Adams Street Lots.
WKU commuter students who normally use Parking Structure 2 should park in the Center Street, Adams Street, Kentucky Street, Creason, Normal or Chestnut Street South lots. You may also use the Campbell Lane and South Campus park and ride lots.
Will traffic patterns change?
With the football games as well as several other campus events scheduled throughout the weekend, traffic will be more congested than usual on campus. Along Avenue of Champions, the traffic lane next to the stadium will be used for unloading and loading of fan buses. Those buses then will park in the Supply Service and Adams Street lots.
Where can I find more information about the championships?
For additional information about the games or to purchase tickets, visit the KHSAA website or contact the WKU ticket office at 1-800-5-BIGRED.
Here is the game schedule (all times Central):
Friday, Dec. 4
11 a.m. — 4A: Lone Oak (14-0) vs. Boyle County (14-0)
3 p.m. — 2A: Fort Campbell (14-0) vs. DeSales (11-3)
7 p.m. — 5A: John Hardin (14-0) vs. Highlands (14-0)
Saturday, Dec. 5
11 a.m. — 3A: Paducah Tilghman (8-6) vs. Somerset (14-0)
3 p.m. — 1A: Mayfield (13-1) vs. Lexington Christian (13-1)
7 p.m. — 6A: St. Xavier (13-1) vs. Trinity (10-4)
By Leah Ashwill
Community Engagement Coordinator
WKU ALIVE Center for Community Partnerships
Thang Le, Phuong Vu and Greg Capillo live in a house on East Eleventh Street.
In this house, once riddled by criminal activity, the three WKU students seek to turn the renovations of a house into a central location for students to communicate with neighbors, develop projects, and in turn, use their interests and knowledge to make a difference in the area.
The Community Engagement House is located on East Eleventh Street in Bowling Green.
Thang Le, Phuong Vu and Greg Capillo serve as the first students to take part in the Community Engagement House, which will provide four graduate students each year with the opportunity to complete projects in a local neighborhood bordering WKU’s campus.
“This work brings me a great opportunity to live in an America practical life, as well as bring my academic knowledge out to apply into real life. Also, I realize that I’m gradually becoming a part of this community,” Thang Le said.
Le, an MBA student, assesses the housing, real estate market and rental properties for the neighborhood. However, all three students are mapping the needs and assets of the neighborhood, in addition to developing a list of project ideas and concerns that they can match with community and university resources. For example, one primary concern of many neighbors is the speed of traffic in the area. Students are working to partner with the Bowling Green Police Department to conduct a speed study to determine if measures should be taken to address this traffic issue.
Greg Capillo, a Philosophy and Mass Communication major, brings experience in community organizing to this project. “In addition to working with Thang and Phuong on our neighborhood mapping efforts, I am also making progress organizing around fair housing in Bowling Green in partnership with groups like Habitat for Humanity and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth,” he said.
Just as the students work to create partnerships within the community to develop and meet needs, the creation of the house stemmed from a partnership as well. The Community Engagement House began as a partnership between a local homeowner, neighborhood professionals and residents, the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, and the ALIVE Center to promote sustainable community development efforts in underserved neighborhoods.
Students work not only within their home; they literally work for it. They are not doing service, so much as taking responsibility for making a better community to live in. This has the potential to not only transform the neighborhood, but also the students themselves, rendering them “citizen professionals” with the capacity to work together to address issues, utilize assets, and create change in whatever communities they encounter after leaving WKU.
As students create and execute their projects, they draw upon knowledge gained from their graduate coursework. Students maintain activity journals, the CE House blog, and a neighborhood email exchange to stay in communication with their neighbors.
On Nov. 30, the WKU students were awarded the “Groundbreakers” Neighborhood Builders Award through the City of Bowling Green’s Neighborhood Action Office. From left are Greg Capillo; Karen Foley, coordinator of the Neighborhood Action Program; and Phuong Vu.
“This is a very challenging job, but when you get into it, your great passion will lead you through,” Vu said, also a graduate student in the house.
On Nov. 30, the students were awarded the “Groundbreakers” Neighborhood Builders Award through the City of Bowling Green’s Neighborhood Action Office. They were recognized for creating a unique and innovative neighborhood improvement project.
For more about the CE House, visit http://cehouse.blogspot.com/.
For more about ALIVE Center activities, check out the December newsletter.
Contact: Aurelia Spaulding, Communications & Marketing Coordinator, WKU ALIVE Center for Community Partnerships, (270) 782-0824
Dr. Raymond Poff, Associate Professor in WKU’s Department of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport, has launched a second electronic journal on TopSCHOLAR®.
The Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership (JNEL) is a peer-reviewed journal which focuses on nonprofit education and leadership. This collaborative effort between the American Humanics® national alliance and the Western Kentucky University Research Foundation will serve to improve research and practice. Published contributions will appeal to a wide audience including nonprofit professionals, faculty, students, policy makers, and others involved in nonprofit education and leadership. Relevant topic areas include nonprofit governance, fundraising, volunteer management, operations, legal framework, philanthropy, program planning, implementation and evaluation, and financial management.
The Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership will initially publish two online issues per year. Additional information can be found at the journal’s website or on WKU’s TopSCHOLAR® database for research and creative activity.
The journal joins the International Journal of Exercise Science and the Journal of Outdoor, Recreation, Education, and Leadership using resources available through TopSCHOLAR®, a University-wide, electronic collection of files including scholarly research, creative activity and other full-text learning resources that merit permanent access. TopSCHOLAR™ uses the Digital Commons platform from Berkeley Electronic Press. WKU is the only university in the Commonwealth with this system and service.
For information on TopSCHOLAR®, contact Connie Foster, Department Head for WKU Libraries Technical Services, at (270) 745-6151.
Contact: Jennifer Wilson, (270) 745-6977
